5 Players from previous England tour of India who are missing in this series - Where are they now?

International cricket is set to turn to India amidst the coronavirus pandemic. The country is set to host England for four Tests, five T20Is and three ODIs, starting February 5 with the opening Test at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. It was four years ago back in 2016-17 when the Three Lions came to Indian soil for a bilateral series.

India pocketed all three series pretty comprehensively. There was a number of players, who shone for their respective teams in all three formats. Especially in the Tests, quite a few new cricketers emerged and showed their class.

But as time passed by, they faded into oblivion and never got a chance to play at the highest level again. Even as some have hung their boots from the sport, a few of them are still harbouring hopes of a national comeback.

In the article, let’s take a look at the whereabouts of the few players from India and England who aren’t there for the upcoming series:   

1. Karun Nair

Karun Nair made his international debut through an ODI series against Zimbabwe in 2016. In the same year, he made his Test debut against England at the PCA Stadium in Mohali. It was in the same series when he became the second Indian after Virender Sehwag to smash a triple century in Test cricket.

It was a dream start to his career at the highest level and he was destined to get better. However, after India’s next Test series against the Aussies where he couldn’t score too many runs, he was left out of the national reckoning.

Four years down the line, the Rajasthan-born has plied his trade for various IPL franchises. In the 2020 IPL, the right-hander managed 16 runs at an average of eight. The 29-year-old is currently playing in the 2021 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy where he failed in the first four games.

2. Jayant Yadav

Jayant Yadav made his Test debut in the same series as that of Nair’s. And similar to Nair, he had a memorable time. The Delhi-born performed with both bat and ball, showing his utility for the Virat Kohli-led unit. He only played three games where he managed to pick up nine wickets.

With the bat in hand, he notched 221 runs at an average of 73.66 and didn’t show any signs of discomfort by any means. He also got his maiden Test century and was also the third-highest run-scorer in the series. Apart from that he also scored a fifty.

However, after India’s home series against the Aussies, he lost his place in the team. In the 2020 IPL, he played for the Mumbai Indians, the five-time winners of the trophy. He is currently playing for Haryana in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy where he has picked a four-wicket haul against Mumbai.

3. Haseeb Hameed

Haseeb Hameed seemed to be the find for England in the 2016 tour of India. In three matches, the right-hander smashed 219 runs at an average of 43.80 with two half-centuries to show for his efforts. He showed a great amount of patience, scoring those runs at a strike-rate of 34.21.

The Lancashire-born was ready to bide his time in the middle and showed composure at the age of 20. But to his sheer dismay, he hasn’t gotten to don the Brits’ jersey ever since then. A series of hand injuries made sure that was unable to keep his place in the team.

Back in August and September, he played five matches for Nottinghamshire. In the tournament, he managed 250 runs at an average of 35.71. His top score of 87 came against Leicestershire at Grace Road in Leicester.

4. Zafar Ansari

Zafar Ansari used to be one of the brightest prospects in England cricket after he made his domestic debut in 2011. His consistent performance earned him his maiden ODI cap against Bangladesh in 2015. In the very next year, he made his Test debut against the same opposition.

However, his big break came in the tour of India in 2016 itself. But he couldn’t quite make a significant impact.  In three games, the left-handed batter scored 36 runs at an average of 12. With his left-arm orthodox spin-bowling, he racked up three wickets at an indifferent average of 54.33.

In the very next year, he decided to quit playing cricket and hence, announced his retirement. He found the decision of quitting cricket a tough one but also talked about fulfilling his other ambitions in life. He wanted to explore a career in law.

He ended his career with 4596 runs and 205 wickets from 182 matches. Ansari last played a professional match, representing Surrey against Lancashire in 2017.

5. Gautam Gambhir

Gautam Gambhir is the most accomplished name in the list, having also held the ICC’s no.1 Test ranking back in 2009. But in 2016, he was fighting for his place in the national team. The home series also turned out to be his last for India after which he retired from the game in December 2018.

In the series, the southpaw only got a chance in the Rajkot Test where he managed 29 runs and a duck. Though he failed in his last series, the fact that he scored 4,154 runs with nine tons and 22 fifties showed his contributions towards Indian cricket.

Not to forget his contributions in the ODI and T20I format, where he was India’s man of the finals in the 2007 and 2011 World Cups. He is currently an MP from the BJP after winning the elections in May 2019 from the East Delhi constituency.